Friction coupling device



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, Patented Nov. 23, 1948 FRICTION COUPLING DEVICE Lawrence B. Buckendale and Ralph K. Super, Detroit, Mich., assignors to The Timken-Detroit Axle Company, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Ohio Application March 27, 1944, Serial No. 528,276

s claims. (ci. isz-7s) This invention relates to improvements in friction coupling devices and has particular reference to an improved power transmitting clutch for a machine drive such as a hoisting drum or a heavy duty vehicle such as a tractor, military tank or heavy duty prime mover. While the improved coupling construction is highly useful in any type of heavy duty apparatus, it is of particular utility in devices such as derricks and power shovels where frequent usc cf `thc clutch l attempt in this direction has so far been made. under high torque conditions is necessary. We realize that drum andV shoe clutches have been Previous mecheniciil friction couplings Such as previously used in such devices as steam traction brakes or clutchesI have been cf thi-ce generel engines and line shaft pulleys as exemplified in types: that is' either drum and band, drum and Patent N0. 2,277,659, issued March 31, 1942, t0 external or internal shoe, or disk devices. In the l Bokich for "Friction drum", Patent No' ieiieee automotive art it has become customary to utilize issued December i2' i911 to Mefidams for Gem" drum and shoe devices for brakes and disk devices bined 10050 puiiey and clutch and Patent Ne' for power transmitting clutches. This utilization 376806' issued Dfeember 6 i904 te Sergent for has come about because of various practical con- Friction eiui'ch siderations based on the characteristics of the These' however are eii for ierge slew Speed three forms of construction at their present devices requiring ne greet accuracy of control known stage of development The drum and and do not teach the principles necessary to band type of friction coupling is now obsolete as com?? this fye of ciuteh'for use in modern high to automotive applications and althou h till d Spee metal e ons' I to Some extent in other appncatlogs Ssuciiliss When an internal shoe and drum friction depower shovels and hoisting equipment, will not gc.eiiiisedmahaurea-lee rsiggerntrels be further considered as its characteristics are iii g l l e o h l l well known. The drum and shoe and the disk W en used es a c utc-h the ent re mec an Sm s. type couplings' which are the forms in principal rotated at high speed and it becomes necessary, use at present have acquired distinct use in not only to provide an operative connection beautomotive applications. For example the um tween the relatively stationary control mechaand shoe type of device, while capable oi handling lilslm erdth ritetele clliilt ltuatme meeleheavy loads and rapidly dissipating friction geni Sm e e en e e le componen s @rated heat is not as now used as controllable w thin the clutch to avoid rotat onal vibration, by slight vriation's of control fforces as is the 3s but to also counterbalance the centrifugal force disk type and requires more frequent adjustment' actilfiglo? the able Slhoe elemertltsllso that the and servicing than does the conventional disk con m cree w Tema n su stan ia y Constant clutch The efficiency of the drum and Shoe regardless of the rotational speed of the clutch. t In order to accomplish this it is necessary to arrangement in dissipating heat has rendered its 40 provide ln e drum and Shoe type friction ccuniinn use almost imperative invehicle brakes, since the a mechanism which is substantially balanced various attempts to use'the disk type construction scancelli, and dynamically and which is Subtassisessantenne,talisman s, ac on. sreq res a cen r uga forces actti?sustenten?staatl; 5 :s On se be a ance lower torque load-s involved and the short dura- Since clutches are, of necessity, usually much 710130113 peiildlof glctional Operation 0f the usual more inaccessible than brakes, it is also highly ve c e c u c owever, with the increased desirable to extend the normal brake adjustment torque and the extended periods of frictional and service intervals when this type of friction operation now consequent to the operation of heavy machinery, such as hoisting equipment,

shovels, tractors, military tanks and heavy duty prime movers, difilculty is being experienced with overheating and slipping of the disk or external 2 band type clutches previously used in such installations. Y

While the torque transmitting and heat. dissipating qualities of the drum and shoe type of construction have been known for a long time Ifrom their use as vehicle brakes, th'e use of this construction as a clutch for high speed, high torque operation has presented such serious problems that, so far as we are aware, no successful coupling device is used as a power transmitting clutch by incorporating improvements in design and features of adjustment therein. The inclusion of means compensating the mechanism for thermal expansion effects of the clutch drum has been found highly advantageous in reducing the frequency of adjustments by utilizing any excess pedal or lever movement over that necesl sary to bring the shoes into engagement with the drum to compensate for lining wear rather than thermal expan-sion of the brake drum.

With the above considerations in view, it is the general object of our invention to utilize as a high speed power transmitting clutch a shoe and drum friction coupling device of the type now conventionally employed as vehicle brakes and to provide a clutch construction having the load' handling and cooling characteristics of the shoe and drum type of construction with the durability and positive and uniform control characteristic of the disk type con-struction now commonly used in vehicle power transmitting clutches.

A somewhat more specific object resides in the provision of an improved friction coupling having a rotatable drum member and friction shoes and shoe actuating mechanism within said drum member and rotatable therewith when frictionally coupled, in which the shoes and respective shoe actuating mechanisms are centrifugally balanced against each other.

A further object resides in the provision of an improved friction coupling of the character indicated, including centrifugally balanced means operative to connect the rotatable shoe actuating mechanism with a non-rotatable control mechanism and provide a positive connection for moving the shoes upon movement of the control mechanism.

A still further object resides in the provision of an improved friction coupling device having an expansible shoe and drum construction in which the shoe elements are urged to retracted position by a force having a predetermined relationship to the centrifugal force acting on the shoe elements.

Another object resides in the provision of an improved friction coupling device having shoe elements urged to a position against limit stops by shoe contracting forces greater by a substantially constant predetermined amount than the shoe expanding forces incident to the action of centrifugal force on the mass of the shoe elements.

Another object resides in the provision of an improved drum and shoe type friction coupling of the character indicated having improved control sensitivity by elimination of the servo action and by provision of substantial dynamic and static balance of the parts.

Yet another object resides in the provision of an improved friction coupling of the character indicated which will stay in adjustment' for extended periods and in which the wear of the friction material is uniform and relatively slow because of the inclusion of means compensating the thermal expansion induced variations in the coupling parts.

out hereinafter or will become apparent as the description proceeds.

In the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals are used to designate similar parts throughout, there is illustrated a suitable embodiment for the purpose of disclosing the invention and two somewhat modified forms thereof. The drawings, however, are for the purpose of illustration only and are not to be taken in a limiting or restrictive sense since it will be apparent to those skilled in the art tha-t various changes in the illustrated arrangements may be resorted to without in any way exceeding the scope of the invention.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is an end elevational view of a friction coupling device constructed according to the invention;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the improved coupling device taken on the line 2--2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a. sectional view of a fragmentary portion of the improved coupling device taken on the line 3--3 of Figure 1 and showing one of the anchor pivots for a friction shoe actuating lever;

Figure 4 is a sectional view of a fragmentary portion of the improved coupling device taken on the line 4--4 of Figure 1 and showing in cross section one of the adjustable strut members operatively connecting the frictionshoe actuating levers;

Figure 5 is a sectional view of a fragmentary portion of the improved coupling device taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 1 showing one of the anchor pins for the brake actuating lever and portions of the brake lever and counterweight mounted thereon;

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 1 showing a modification of a portion of the mechanism;

Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 1 showing a further modified form of the device;

Figure 8 is a sectional view taken on line 8--8 of Figure '7;l

Figure 9 is a sectional view taken on the line 9,-9 of Figure 7, and

Figure 10 is a view similar to Figure 7 of the modified coupling arrangement of Figure 7 with Another object resides in the provision of an improved friction coupling of the character indicated in which the control force necessary to disengage the coupling or to permit smooth engagement of the coupling is substantially constant, regardless of the rotational speed of the coupling.

It is also an object to provide a friction coupling of the character indicated which is entirely free running when disengaged and which is engaged or disengaged by a substantially constant degree of movement of a control element.

Other objects will be more particularly pointed a thermal expansion compensating element incorporated therein.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the numeral I0 generally indicates a rotatable drive member which may be an engine crankshaft or a drive shaft driven directly by the engine or through a suitable transmission gear train, while the numeral I2 indicates a rotatable driven member, which may be hollow and interiorly splined to telescopicallyreceive the exteriorly splined end portion of a driven shaft I4. The coupling device or clutch operates to frictionally connect the member I0 with the members I2 and I4 when engaged and to drivingly disconnect the driving and driven members when disengaged.

The drive member I0 carries a bell housing, generally indicated by I6, in the form of a brake drum having a web portion I8 secured to a flange on the drive member by suitable means, such as the bolts or cap screws 20, and an integral flange portion 22 overlying the friction shoes, generally indicated at 24 and 26. Each shoe comprises an annular flange portion, as indicated at 28 and 28', extending over a portion of the circumfere'ntial extent of the drum flange, a web portion, as indicated at 30 and 30', and a lining of friction material, as indicated at 32 and 32. The two friction shoes are similar in construction and are carefully balanced as to mass andeare diametrically oppositely disposed within the drum so thatl as they rotate with the driven member |2, they will be b alanced one against the other and will not cause vibration of the friction coupling mechanism.

The brake shoe 24 is provided adjacent its ends with transverse abutment plates 34 and 36 secured to the ends of the web portion thereof and the brake shoe 26 is provided with similar abutment plates 38 and 48. These abutment plates 84, 36, 88 and 48 cooperate with respective abutments 42, 44, 46,` and-48 pivotally mounted on respective anchor pins 68, 52, 54 and 66 projecting outwardly from the support plate 6 8 fixed upon the driven member I2.

The abutments 42, 44, 46 and 48 are rotatable on the respective anchor pins and the abutment contacting faces of the abutment plates 84. 38, 86 and 48 have an angular relationship to a line passing through the axis of rotation of the coupling and bisecting the two friction shoes such that clrcumferentialdrag of the shoes in either direction exerts a radial force at the incidental heel portion of the shoe which balances the radial pressure exerted on the toe and intermediate portion of the shoe by the shoe expandingmechanism and causes 'equal pressure and equal wear on the entire surface of the friction liners82 and 82'.

By thus insuring that the wear is even over the entire surface of the liner of friction material, the life of the liner is greatly extended and frequent adjustment of the brake shoes to compensate for lining wear is rendered unnecessary.

The friction shoes are moved toward and away from the drum flange 22 by respective actuating levers, generally indicated at 68 and 62. The lever 68 is pivoted at one end on the anchor pin 88, as is clearly illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, and comprises two 'spacedl parallel plate-like members 64 and 66 which receive between them the web portion 38 of the friction shoe 82. Approximately at the mid length portion of the lever the two portions thereof are joined by a lever saddle member comprising transverse vplate member 68 welded to the inner edges of the plate members, as particularly illustrated in Figure 1.

Preferably the plate members are out away. as indicated at 18, for a portion of the thickness of the plate member 68 and the weld is applied to the exposed edge surfaces oi the transverse plate member and to the edges of the cut away portion of the lever members. The saddle member may be secured to the lever side plates by other suitable means however as by induction welding or brazing. The plate member 68 bears against the fiat side face of a semi-circular pressure block 12 having its'- semi-cylindrical surface engaged with an arcuate seat 14 provided in the inner portion oi the web 88 of the brake shoe 24.

The lever member 68 is also connected to the friction shoe 24 by means of a compression spring lli inserted in corresponding apertures 16 and I8 provided in the friction shoe and in the lever member, respectively. The aperture 16 is only slightly larger than the spring 16 but the aperture 18 is elongated top'ermit a limited amount of sliding movementbetween the friction shoe and the shoe actuating lever, sliding friction between the spring and the lever being carried through the abutment washer 88. The shoe web 38 vis normally thinner than the space between the two parts of the lever member 68 but, surrounding the aperture 16, the web is provided 82. which contacts the adjacent surfaces of the lever side plate members to provide afirm sliding contact between the shoe web and the lever.

At its end opposite the end fulcrumed on the anchor pin 68. the lever 68 carries a transverse pin 84 which provides a bearingv for the forked end of a member 86 constituting a portion of an adjustable strut member, generally 'indicated at 88. This strutmember. as shown in section in Figures 1 and 4, comprises a sleeve portion 88 into one end of which the member 86 is screw threaded and into the other end of which there is inserted-a member 82 pivotally connected by a pin or, bushing 84 to one end of a cam follower lever 86 which is fulcrumed on an anchor pin 88- carried by the support member I8. The lever shoe expanding mechanism.

With this arrangement, when the cam member is moved to the right, as viewed in Figure 2, the contacting end of the lever 86 is moved outwardly away from the axis of rotation of the coupling and is pivoted about the anchor pin 86, moving the strut member 68 to the left as viewed in Figure l and forcing the end of the lever member 68 carrying the pin 84 outwardly causing this lever to swing about its pivotal connection with the anchor pin 88. This moves the lever saddle 68 outwardly, exerting pressure on the pressure plate 12 vwhich forces the friction shoe 24 outwardly against the flange of the brake drum. 'The frictional drag on the shoe will then force one of the abutment plates 34 or 36, depending upon the direction oi rotation of the drum, against the corresponding abutment 42 or M to equalize the pressure between the shoe lining and the drum, slight movement of the shoe relative to the lever 68 being permitted by the spring '|6which acts to maintain the shoe firmly in con,- tact with the pressure plate 'l2 which may slide along the saddle 68 to permit this movement of the friction shoe relative to the lever. The anchor pin 52 extends through the lever 68 which is provided with an elongated slot |84 surrounding the pin, awasher (not illustrated) secured on the pin serving to provide a sliding bearing for the lever so that the lever may move freely in a radial direction with respect to pin 62 but will be restrained against tilting movement toward or away from the support member 68.

The sleeve member 88 is formed of a suitable alloy. such, for example, as manganese alloy number '772, manufactured by the W. M. Chace Company of Detroit, Michigan, which has a coeflicient of expansion much greater than the coeillcient of expansion of the material of the support member 68 which carries the anchor pins. A copper spring clip |I8 is secured to ythe member 82 and overlies one end of the Isleeve member 68 to hold the sleeve member in any position of adjustment to which it is moved. This spring has an elongated side portion which lies in con` to the sleeve member 90 so that the sleeve member expands and contracts in accordance with rising and falling temperatures of the drum thereby varying the distance between the pins 84 and 94 to compensate for thermal expansion changes in the size of the drum due to frictional heating of the coupling mechanism.

The shoe 24 is urged away from the drum flange by a tension spring ||2 which is connected between the levers 60 and 96, which spring also acts to maintain the rotatable sleeve |06 firmly in contact with the surface of the conical cam |02.

Centrifugal force acting on the friction. shoes tending to move them into contact with the drum flange is counteracted by suitable counterweights llt and |45 pivoted on the anchor pins 52 and 54 respectively. The counterweight ||4 for the shoe 25 has a lever arm extending towards the pin 65 and receiving, in a notch ||6 provided in the end thereof, a pin ||8 carried by the lever member 60 adjacent the end thereof, and a weight portion |28 extends inwardly from the anchor pin 52 toward the line bi-secting the two brake shoes. With this arrangement, centrifugal force acting on the weight portion of the counterweight tends t0 swing the counterweight about its pivotal connection with the pin 52 and move the pin ||8 toward the lever 96. This force exerted by the counterweight tends to place the strut 88 in compression and swing the lever 96 in a direction to press the roller sleeve |00 firmly in contact with the conical cam |02. Actually, however, no appreciable force is transmitted through the strut B6 since the counterweight is carefully dimensioned so that it approximately neutralizes the effect of centrifugal force acting on the friction shoe and prevents this centrifugal force from changing the forces necessary to move the brake shoe toward or away from the drum flange regardless of the speed of rotation of the coupling. Spring H2 will then exert a substantially constant retracting force on the friction shoe, which force is overcome by a substantially constant force exerted between the cam |02 and the contacting end of the lever 96. The counterweight H4 is also particularly designed to have the necessary freedom of movement for following movements of the friction shoe without interfering with any existing parts of the coupling mechanism.

Centrifugal force is transferred from the brake shoe 25 to the lever 60 through the compression spring 15 which is designed to transmit this force without exceeding a predetermined range of deflection.

The shoe 26 is actuated by mechanism having parts corresponding exactly to the above described parts of the mechanism for actuating the shoe 24 and including the two part lever 62 pivoted on the anchor pin 56 and carrying the lever saddle |22 bearing upon the semi-circular pressure plate |24 carried by the web portion 30 of the friction shoe 26; the primary lever |26 pivoted on the anchor pin |28 and having a roller |30 contacting the conical cam |02; the adjustable strut |32 interconnecting the levers |26 and 62; the shoe retracting spring |34; abutments 46 and 48; and the corresponding abutment Vplates 38 and 40 on the friction shoe 26. The strut |32 has end bearing pins |33 and |35 in the levers |26 and 62, respectively, andthe sleeve portion |36 is of the same alloy of high thermal expansive characteristlcs as the sleeve member 90 of the strut 88 and the spring clip |38 has a portion in contact with the flange of the brake drum I6. There is also a spring |40 between the lever 62 and the friction shoe 26 disposed within aperture |42 in the shoe web surrounded by the boss |44 and projecting into the elongated aperture |46 in` the lever 62. Springs 15 and |40 have only a small amount 'of resilient movement and when the shoes are subjected to centrifugal force they are compressed to a solid condition in which they provide positive abutments to limit outward movement of the shoes relative to the shoe carrying levers 6|) and 62. l

A counterweight |46 is pivotally supported on the anchor pin 54 and connected with lever 62 through pin |41 received in notch |49. This counterweight is similar to counterweight ||4 and acts in the same manner to counteract the effect of centrifugal force acting on the friction shoe 26. As is particularly shown in Figure 5. the counterweights may be secured on the respective anchor pins by cap screws, as indicated at |5I, an washers as indicated at |54.

Links |48 and |56 are provided, the link |48 receiving the anchor pins 56 and 88 and secured thereon lby suitable horse shoe clips and the link |50 receiving the anchor pins |28 and 50 and also secured in place by horse shoe clips as illustrated.

These links by joining the outer ends of two adjacent anchor pins serve to reinforce these anchor pins and particularly to reinforce the anchor pins 08 and |28 which carry the relatively heavy loads imposed thereon by the cam levers 96 and |26.

The anchor pins 54 extend through the elongated slot |52 in the lever member 62 and carries a washer 54 held on the anchor pin by cap screw i5! and serves to maintain the lever 62, the abutment 46 and the counterweight |45 in operative position in the mechanism. A similar washer and cap screw is provided for the anchor pin 52.

Preferably the cam member |02 has a key or spline connection with the driven member so that it rotates with the driven member and imposes no rotational friction on the levers 96 and |26.

Suitable means may be provided for engaging and disengagng the frictional coupling, one such arrangement being illustrated in Figure 2 for the purpose of disclosing the invention. In this arrangement the conical cam' |02 is provided with an annular flange or projection |55 rotatably received in an internal annular groove provided in `a non-rotatable split throwout collar |56, suitable -bearings being provided between the sides of the projection |55 and the side walls of the groove in the collar |56. A throwout yoke |58 is fulcrumed on a fixed pivot |60 and connected to the collar |56 by trunnions, one of which is indicated at |62. If desired, a spring, as indicated at |64, may be connected to the mechanism in a manner to urge the cam inwardly or to the right as viewed in Figure 2, to engage the coupling, the coupling being disengaged by manual movement of the yoke |58.

Any other conventional or desired actuating mechanism may be used without in any way exceeding the scope of the invention.

As stated above, the shoes are carefully balanced against each other and the counterweights are also balanced both against each other and against the corresponding shoes. All of the other components of the mechanism are oppositely disposed and balanced against each other, as is obvious from an inspection of Figure 1, so that there is no unbalanced weight in the arrangement which would tend to set up rotational vibration during operation of the device.

provides a construction capable of handling a maximum torque load and the shoe and drum arrangement provides for rapid dissipation of friction generated heat; There is thus provided a friction coupling device which has a high torque load capacity in both directions of rotation, maximum cooling characteristics, perfect rotational balance and freedom from vibration, high durability and satisfactory control effects.

In the modified arrangement shown in Figure 6, springs |66 and |68 are provided which may either replace or supplement the retracting springs ||2 and |34 shown in Figure 1 or may be substituted for any desired portion of the mass of the counterweights I4 and |46. While these springs may be connected to the mechanism, in any desired manner, in the arrangement illustrated, extensions |10 and |12 are provided on the levers 96 and |26, respectively, extending past the respective roller bearings |00 and |30 and the spring |66 acts in tension between theend-ofthe extension |12 on the lever |26 and the lever 96 while the spring |68 acts in tension between the end of the extension |10 on the lever 96 and the lever |26. The extensions |10 and |12 greatly increase the leverage through which the springs act, as compared with ihe leverage through which the springs ||2 and |38 in Figure 1 act, so that much lighter springs may be used to hold the levers 96 and |26 firmly against the cam member |02. further multiplied due to the fact that the springs |66 and |68 act directly on the primary levers, whereas in the form shown in Figurel the retracting springs act between the primary and secondary levers operatively associated with each friction shoe.

When the modified arrangement is used merely to supplement or replace the retracting springs ||2 and |34, the counterweights would be maintained at the same mass as in the construction illustrated in Figure 1. However, it is possible to replace a portion of the counterweight mass by a constant spring force which force would over- 'come the centrifugal force acting on the friction shoes and maintain the shoes out of contact with the drum flange and would require only a small additional force to be applied to the cam to move the friction shoes into contact with the drum.

In the further modified form of the invention shown in Figures 7, 8, 9 and l0, a somewhat differentform of friction coupling is employed but the principles utilized to operate the friction shoes end counteract the effect of centrifugal force on the shoes are substantially the same.

in this arrangement there are co-axial rotatable drive and driven members, as explained above in connection with Figures 1 and 2, one of the members carrying a support plate |14 and the other m^mber carrying a drum having a web or disk portion |16 and an annular flange portion |16.

he support plate |14 carries two adjacent anchor pins |18 and |80 which pivotally support the adjacent ends of respective arcuate friction shoesV |82 and |84. A shoe retracting spring |86 is con nected between the shoes adjacent to their free The leverage is ends, opposite the ends mounted on the pins |18 and |88, and the shoes are expanded by means diagrammatically shown as a hydraulic device |88 in Figure 7 interposed between the free ends of the shoes. This device, as illustrated, is a conventional hydraulic shoe expanding cylinder, but it is to be understood that any conventional or desired shoe expanding mechanism may be employed without exceeding the scope of the invention, and a pair of levers, |89 and |9I, fulcrumed against each other on a floating thermal expansion unit f |98, have been shown i'n Figure 10.

Where a hydraulic cylinder expanding device is utilized, some suitable means. known to the prior art, may be employed to conduct hydraulic uid under pressure from an exterior source to the device disposed within the rotatable coupling mechanism. Such means may involve the use of a transfer bearing on the rotatable shaft which carries the support plate and hydraulic conduits leading from the source of hydraulic fluid under pressure to the transfer bearing and from the bearing to the shoe expanding cylinder. With such an arrangement, the shoe expanding device and the retracting springs will operate in the same manner as in a brake in which the support plate |14 is held stationary.

While Figure '1 has been shown without a thermal expansion compensating element for purposes of simplifying the illustration, the inclusion of such an element is highly desirable and is shown in supplementary Figure 10. A cam |02', similar to the cam |02 of Figures 1 and 2, may be provided and may be actuated by some suitable means as indicated above. Lever |89 is pivotally connected intermediate its length at |98 to the end portion` of shoe |82 and pivotally connected at its outer end to the corresponding end of thermal expansion compensating unit |93. At its inner end lever |89 carries a bearing roller |98 which contacts cam |02'. Lever |9| is pivotallyconnected to brake shoe |84 at 200 and to unit |93 at 202 and carries on its inner end roller 204 contacting cam n|02. When the roller carrying inner ends of the levers are forced apart by the cam the outer ends fulcrum on their connections with unit |83 and force the lever connected ends of the brake shoes apart. Shoe adjustment maybe obtained by adjusting the effective length of unit |93.

At its end mounted on the respective anchor pins |18 or |80, each brake shoe is provided with an extension in the form of respective levers |90 and |92 supporting respective counterweights |94 and |96.

As particularly illustrated in Figure 9, the lever |90 pivoted on the anchor pin |80 is disposed adjacent to the support plate |14 and passes around lthe anchor pin |18 to support the counterweight counterweight substantially .fbalance's the action v of centrifugal force on the friction shoe to which it is attached so that the shoes are expanded and retracted with substantially the same force applied by the expanding device |88 and the retracting spring |86 with the support plate |14 rotating at high speed as when the plate is stationary. If

desired, a xed counterweight |99 may be mounted on the support plate |14 diametrically opposite to location of the pins |18 and |80 to statically balance the difference between the weight of the anchor pins and the counterweights |94 and |96 and the weight of the shoe expanding device |83 and the retracting spring |86 so that there will be no unbalanced weight in the coupling which will tend to set up vibration when the coupling is rotated.

The brake shoes |82 and |84 are provided withA linings of friction material in the conventional manner and are slidably connected with the support plate at locations intermediate their length.

While the modified form of the coupling shown in Figures 7, 8, 9 and 10, does not have all of the features making for maximum durability and positive and uniform control as described above in connection with the form of the device shown in Figures 1 and 2, it is much simpler in construction and is sufficiently sensitive and durable for many installations where these characteristics are not absolutely critical.

The invention may be embodied in other specic forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed and desired to be secured Iby United States Letters Patent isz,

1. In a friction coupling device, driving and driven members, means for frictionally coupling said members together including a friction shoe and an actuating lever therefor pivotally anchored at one of its ends on one of said members,

means for moving said lever in one direction to rictionally couple said members, and means mounted on said one member adjacent to the other end of said lever for angular movement relative thereto in response to centrifugal force vand operatively connected with said lever to restrain said lever and friction shoe against movement to coupling position.4

2. The friction coupling device defined in claim 1, in which said last named means comprises a counterweight pivotally mounted'at one end on a fixed stop limiting movement of said lever to uncoupling position.

3. In a friction coupling device, coaxial driving and driven members, coupling means mounted on one of said members comprising a friction shoe and a lever systemfor expanding said shoe into frictional engagement with the other member, said system including a primary lever pivotally anchored adjacent to one of its ends on said first member at one side of its axis, a secondary lever operatively connected with the friction shoe and pivotally anchored on said first member at the other side of its axis and substantially diametrically opposite to the anchored end of said primary lever, a motion transmitting connection between the other end of said secondary lever and Cil the anchored end of said primary lever comprising a rigid strut pivotally connected to each of said levers, an axially movable operating cam coacting in its movement'in one direction with the free end of said primary lever to transmit motion to said secondary lever and expand the friction shoe to coupling position, and spring means connected with one of said levers andv operative to retract the friction shoe and maintain the primary lever in effective contact with the cam.

4. In the friction coupling device defined in claim 3, means for adjusting the length of said strut to vary the distance between its pivotal connection with said levers.

5. In a friction coupling device for drivingly connecting driving and driven members, a drum carried by one of said members, a support plate carried by the other of said members, friction shoes within said drum, means carried by said plate operatively supporting the shoes for radial expansion into frictional contact with the drum wall, actuating means for the shoe supporting means, centrifugally actuated counter-weights individual to the respective shoes movably mounted on said support plate, means operatively connecting said counterweights with said shoe supporting means so as to urge said shoe supporting means in shoe retracting direction in opposition to centrifugal forces acting on said shoe supporting means and tending to urge the shoes toward the drum, and means operatively connecting said actuating means with the shoe supporting means independently of said counter-weights.

6. In a friction coupling device having a flanged drum, shoes frictionally engageable with said drum flange and lever mechanism for expanding and retracting said shoes; strut members of a material having a thermal expansion coefcient higher than the thermal expansion coemcient cf the material of said drum operatively connected with said lever mechanism to compensate the travel of said shoes for thermal expansion changes in said drum; and spring members carried by said strut members and contacting said drum flange for conducting heat from said flange to said strut members.

LAWRENCE R. BUCKENDALE. RALPH K. SUPER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the. file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Great Britain 1901 

